of Merrington's opinion that the plant would not bear a man's weight.
But now it seemed to him that Miss Heredith might have opened the window
for the purpose of throwing the revolver into the moat so that it should
not be found. He determined to investigate that possibility as soon as
he returned to the moat-house.

He reached his destination only to learn that Mr. and Mrs. Weyne had
motored over to the moat-house to pay their condolences to the family.
He remounted his bicycle and rode back as fast as he could, chagrined to
think that he had wasted the best part of an afternoon in a fruitless
errand.

It was evening when he reached Heredith again, and rode through the
woods towards the moat-house. It looked deserted in the gathering
twilight. A fugitive gleam of departing sunshine fell on the bronze and
blood-red chrysanthemums in the circular beds, but the shadows were
lengthening across the lawn, and the mist from the green waters of the
moat was creeping up the stained red walls.

His ring at the front door was answered by the pretty parlourmaid who
had been dusting the hall before breakfast. He recognized in Milly Saker
a village playmate of nearly twenty years ago, and he recalled that it
was she who had told his sister of the difference which had existed
between Miss Heredith and her nephew's wife.

Milly greeted the detective with a coquettish smile of recognition.

"How are you?" she said. "You wouldn't look at me this morning. You
seemed as if you didn't want to recognize old friends."

Caldew's mind was too preoccupied to meet these rural pleasantries in
the same spirit.

"Is Miss Heredith in?" he asked, stepping into the hall.

"I shouldn't be here talking to you if she was," replied the girl
pertly. "She's gone to the village in the motorcar to meet Mr. Musard.
She's just got a telegram to say he's coming back."

"I thought he was going to France," said Caldew.

"Well, he's not. The telegram says he's not. So Miss Heredith's gone to
meet him by the evening train. Tufnell's out too. I don't know where
he's poked to, but I shan't cry my eyes out if he never comes back."

"Have Mr. and Mrs. Weyne been here?"

"Yes. They drove over in their car, and saw Miss Heredith and Sir
Philip. They weren't here very long."

"Where are Superintendent Merrington and Captain Stanhill?"

"In the library. They come in about an hour ago. The big gentleman has
to go back to London to-night--I heard him say so. A